Time to Change the World
by dreamsofthingsthatneverwere
Summary: In a world left devastated by the First Wizarding War, a girl has the power to make a difference. Harriet Potter is no ordinary girl - at the age of one, she saved the Wizarding World and her family. But now the world has need of her again. This is her story.


**Chapter One – A Different Halloween**

"Lily, take Harri and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -"  
James Potter's shouts reverberated around the cottage at Godric's Hollow, as the Dark Lord strode down the moonlit path to the door. Lily screamed as the door was blasted open before she could reach the bundle that was her child, or the emergency portkey that would save them from this monster. Time seemed to slow to a snail's pace as the frantic parents tried to draw their wands and move in front of their daughter. They realised too late that their wands still lay forgotten on the floor.

Voldemort glanced down at them and began to laugh, a high pitched cackle which shook the house to its foundations. He drew his own wand and pointed it directly at the child's head.

"Not Harri! Please ... have mercy ... Not Harri! Please — I'll do anything..." Lily fell to her knees in front of the wizard, as James valiantly looked round for anything that could be used as a weapon. Voldemort merely shook his head with a sinister smile as he directed his wand at the woman before him instead.  
"You think you can stop me, you silly little girl?". The Killing Curse began to form on his lips, but was drowned out by the sound of a child's scream, and the sudden escalation of the storm outside. Then, for a brief moment, silence fell and the green beam of light shot out of his wand as if in slow motion. It crossed the several feet that stood between the wizard and his victim, until, inches from the heart of Lily Potter, it was met by a shimmering golden web forming a barrier across the room. The curse ricocheted off the net, as all the adults stared in astonishment. Then the world exploded.

As the witches and wizards of Britain opened the Prophet on the first day of November, jaws dropped. By evening, the majority of the population was on the streets celebrating the defeat of the most evil wizard of the time.  
A scarce few, however, did not share the same delight. A man sat in a dimly lit bedroom, staring at the headline declaring the defeat of his old master. 'At what cost?' he thought glumly. He scanned the rest of the article detailing the previous night, how not even Dumbledore knew the true events. Then a small sentence at the end of a paragraph caught his eye. "_The three Potters are currently being treated in St Mungo's Hospital, though they are expected to make a full recovery_".

For the first time in years, Severus Snape's face lit up with a smile.

_One Year Earlier_

He hadn't meant to overhear. He had simply been waiting outside the room in the Hog's Head for his own interview for Potions Master, which Dumbledore was interviewing for after the interview for a new Divination professor. It looked like she would be getting the job, he thought.

Severus was a conflicted young man. He had made mistakes, as all young men do, though his mistakes were perhaps a bit graver than others'. It was these mistakes which saw him, at only twenty, being branded a Death Eater and calling Voldemort his master. He did not truly support their ideals, but the last few years had left him very confused, and once you were a Death Eater there was no going back. One did not lie to the Dark Lord, not even by omission. This was why, when he overheard a prophecy predicting the fall of Voldemort, his immediate reaction was to inform his master. That was the only way.  
A few months later, having got the job, Dumbledore had a task for him. It seemed the Potter brat had caught rubella, a muggle disease not uncommon in female infants, and needed a potion brewing...and delivering. As soon as he saw the child, he knew that everything he had been a part of for the past few years was wrong. Not just a small mistake, but entirely wrong.

The child looked much like expected, with a small tuft of jet black hair and small, rounded face. But it was the eyes which really stood out. Bright green eyes. Lily's eyes. In fact, Severus reflected, if his dreams had come true and it had been he who married Lily, their child would have looked much the same.  
This child was the future. Innocent eyes stared back, and the child seemed to gurgle in agreement. It was this baby's future that the Death Eaters were destroying. What sort of world would she grow up in? Severus busied himself looking around the room, to disguise his unease. His eyes caught a large picture of Lily in a hospital bed, holding a small bundle. The date underneath read '31st July 1980. Harri is brought into the world.' Severus' breath caught in his chest. July...

Within half an hour, he was storming into Dumbledore's office. The door crashed open, and the ancient wizard looked up in bemusement.

"Lucius Malfoy. Bellatrix Lestrange. Rookwood, Rosier, Crouch Jnr, Karkaroff, Crabbe, Goyle, Pettigrew. All Death Eaters. And...myself." he paused for breath, "You knew, didn't you? You knew that the prophecy meant Lily Evans' daughter. You sent me there on purpose." It was not a question.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a moment. "Yes Severus. I did what I had to. I knew you had it in you."

"The child...you plan to save her, yes? You know the Dark Lord will not leave her alone once he deduces who the prophecy speaks of?" Dumbledore inclined his head. "Then I want to help. I do not want to be part of an organisation that would slaughter a child like that. I refuse to be part of that anymore. Please save them."

For a moment, Dumbledore looked slightly puzzled. "Them?"

"The Potters..."

"All of them? Not just..."

"Lily...and her family..." a pause ensued. "Don't make me say it Dumbledore..."

"I must confess Severus, I'm rather confused. I expected you to ask to spare Lily's life, no more than that..."

"Fine! Keep Lily and Harriet and...James Potter safe!"

_Present Day_

Severus would never regret what he had done, turning spy for the Light. But now there was still work to be done. With the information he had provided, measures had been put in place. Namely, a team of Aurors had been put on standby to deal with the traitor. Snape had taken a vindictive pleasure in informing the Order where Pettigrew's true allegiances lay. He could only hope it had paid off.

"He got away!" announced Sirius in disbelief, as he threw himself into the hospital room. "That two faced, slimy son of a hag got away!"  
"What? How is that possible?!" demanded Lily. Sirius and James exchanged looks.

"The filthy rat transformed, and scurried off to the gutter to be with his own kind." Sirius sat on the end of the bed, defeated. "Nice to see you lot alive though!" he grinned. "How's my little Prongslette?"

James smiled before replying. "She seems fine, though her magical core is seriously depleted. I don't think any of us expected what happened last night."  
"I for one didn't expect to see any of you again..." Remus announced as he entered the room in a more sedate manner.

"There's our little ray of sunshine! You're such an optimist, Moony" Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Well there was no chance of them actually using the emergency portkey Dumbledore provided; You Know Who would have put wards up. And Plan B would have left James and Lily dead, and you would've chased the rat and probably landed yourself in Azkaban. As it is, Harriet saved you all."

"I knew she'd be brilliant. She is my daughter after all!" James joked, and the tension dissipated. "If ever there was a time for accidental magic, it was then. How on earth a one year old managed an Avada-proof shield is anyone's guess though."

They all laughed. The relief washing over them was almost tangible. They were all safe from the terror that had haunted their lives for many years, and now all that was to be done was to set the world to rights. That task seemed easy compared to what they had just faced. At that moment, Dumbledore entered, the twinkle in his eye more prominent than ever before.

"It has gone better than any of us dared hope!" he exclaimed. "The Aurors have captured all but one of the Death Eaters named by Severus, and the Minister is so grateful that no one would deny this family if it demanded the accused be sentenced to life in Azkaban."

The Marauders grinned. Their lives would be much easier if people like Lucius Malfoy were locked up.

"There is just one problem...Sirius...we found that your cousin Narcissa also carried the Mark. She is in a holding cell at the Ministry right now, but she has been asking to see you."

"Merlin, Cissa, what have you done?" Sirius sighed as he watched his cousin raised gracefully from the thin matteress to greet him.

"Siri, I'm so sorry. You know how He is...how they are. If I hadn't agreed, they would have had me thrown out on the street and I would have never seen my son again. As it is..."

Sirius realised with a jolt why he'd been summoned to see her. "Cissa, I don't know..."

"Sirius, please! If you don't take care of Draco then he'll go to your mother and she'll ruin him!"

"Like she did me, you mean?"

"You survived, somehow. Look what happened to Reg. Please tell me my son will be safe from that, Sirius!"

He sighed again, and looked through the bars at his cousin. She was barely recognisable from the last time he had seen her. Her hair was straw-like and stuck out all over the place. She looked as if she hadn't slept, and had tear tracks down her face. How could anyone with an ounce of humanity say no to such a heartfelt request?

The group sat around a fire in the parlour of Potter Manor, which hadn't been used since they'd gone into hiding so many months ago. They had gone through so much in such a short time, but had come through it as they went in...as a family. Their family had changed over this time. One member had betrayed the family, never to be trusted again. Another's trust had yet to be gained. Yet here they were.

The Wizarding World was devastated by the horrors imposed on it by Voldemort, and though they were mostly safe now, there was still work to be done. Some people had not been Death Eaters, but certainly thought Voldemort had the right idea with the killing of Muggle-borns. Others simply wanted to take advantage of the situation, to manipulate themselves into a position of power. Some wanted a return to the old days, when blood, honour and dignity meant everything, and old fools like Dumbledore were not in charge of anything. Yes, the Wizarding World was in chaos, and desperate need of attention and help from a group of talented and powerful wizards.

But there was time to change the world later. For now, it was time to sit and relax with family, and savour their new-found freedom.


End file.
